Percy Jackson and the Second Chance
by Lightning Bug Harmony
Summary: In an AU Last Olympian where everyone dies, Percy strikes up a deal with Kronos to send him back in time. Now he will try to save the world all over again, but how will his future knowledge and training affect the timeline? AU Time Travel Fic. First story.
1. EVERYTHING GOES HORRIBLY WRONG

**A/N: Hello everyone! This is my very first fic here at , so forgive me if there are any errors at all regarding formatting. I accept all messages and comments. So tell me if it's in the wrong category, if I should change the title, if it sucks, if it's decent, if you saw any plot holes I should address, or to suggest ideas. I was actually quite surprised to see a lack of Time Travel fics in the Percy Jackson universe consider the hundreds present in the HP fandom. Also, I currently have no beta, so if anyone could suggest one, please do. Anyway, without further ado, I present Percy Jackson and the Second Chance!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned this universe, then there would have been MUCH MORE APOLLO AWESOMENESS!**

**EDIT: I am still in the process of writing Chapter 2, but after seeing the reviews, I had to make an edit. I am so happy to have gotten 6 reviews already, plus all of them are positive :D. In retrospect, I do agree that I shouldn't the POV too much. It will still be happening (sorry, it's my style!) but 7 in one short chapter does get quite dizzying. I'll try to reduce the amount of POV changes in the future. Thanks to Angie-mia and ODXT for pointing that out, but I'd also like to thank YOLO, Splashfire, lauralover2000, and MIGHTY RULER OF GUMMY BEARS for boosting my self-esteem :). Next chapter should be sometime next week. Thank you for the reviews.  
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* * *

EVERYTHING GOES HORRIBLY WRONG

Percy stared at the giant steps of Mount Tamalpais and slowly began to ascend. Haggard and bedraggled, he never believed he'd ever be here without a weapon in hand, but here he was, climbing to enemy headquarters looking like he'd just died inside.

_He had, actually._

Unshed tears glistened in the teenager's emerald eyes. He passed a juniper bush. It was on fire.

_Hyperion laughed and charged. A satyr and a naiad were impaled on his solar sword._

Storms crackled around him, but he paid them no heed.

_Thalia cried out, but he could not move. And she fell into Tartarus._

The steps vanished, but he trudged through the dirt. Boulders obstructed his path, but he simply climbed over them.

_And he came face to face with Medusa. Nico de Angelo never moved again._

He waded through the raging river as if it were not there. Drenched, he kept on climbing. He did not care.

"_Brother!" he cried. "Percy!" he yelled. But Tyson disappeared between Leviathan's razor-sharp teeth._

He cleared away a fallen tree. The steps resumed.

_ Crucified on the same cross were Clarisse la Rue and Chris Rodriguez, _Together Forever _written mockingly above them._

He made his way back to the granite steps. Blood and ichor, ash and cinders, they all blended together on the ground like a sick piece of graffiti.

_Retribution, he called it. He buried the body of Rachel Elizabeth Dare, blue plastic hairbrush lodged firmly in her brain._

His eyes fell upon the grand double doors. They were painted deep blue.

_Their heads arrived by mail. His actor-like expression and her sugar-scented hair would look like that 'til the end of time._

He reached for the handle, and a gray owl perched on his arm. He could not help it. He cried.

_Annabeth Chase, January 19, 1993- August 17, 2009 from Kronos to Percy – Happy Birthday_

He wailed and he wept, and screamed in anguish for all his friends and family. He did not know how long it had lasted but soon the blue doors creaked open and the face of Atlas peered down on him. Pure disgust was etched across his every feature. He roughly hoisted Percy by the scruff of his neck and threw him into the throne room.

Percy did not care how pathetic he looked. The hero of Olympus, bawling, sobbing, convulsing, on the floor.

He chanced a look upward and saw Zeus on one knee, bearing the burden of the sky. To his surprise Zeus looked upon him with not disappointment, hatred, or even pity, but instead remorse, sorrow, and regret.

He turned and saw twelve more gods, six male, six female, shackled to the wall, wills broken. Each looked more exhausted than the last. Their pride stripped forcefully away, they were less than mere toys for the Titans to play with.

Then a finger on his chin turned his head up, and he gazed into the golden eyes of Luke Castellan, now Kronos.

* * *

Kronos sat on his golden throne. As ruler of the world, his days fell into a routine of sorts. He woke up every day to the wonderfully pleasant screams of a new God of Olympus. One of his favorites was Zeus, who did not cry out in pain, but merely grunted. It was always fun to watch his pride crack as his grunts got louder and louder. Then he'd hit the streets with one of his good friends, usually Hyperion or Krios. They'd go out, have a case of ambrosia or two, torture mortals into insanity, and then go back to their respective homes. Then Kronos would have his fun torturing his personal collection. After a hard day's work he'd go back to sleep to a dream personally crafted by Morpheus, lulled by cries of anguish.

But today was a special day. Today was Perseus Jackson's birthday. Today his victory against Olympus was assured. Today the Prophecy would be fulfilled, and Kronos, Titan of Time, would become supreme ruler of the universe for all eternity!

His senses felt a presence at the foot of the steps of Mount Tam. It seems Percy Jackson had finally arrived. With a flash of divine light he materialized next to Percy Jackson, but the boy was so broken he couldn't even feel it.

He chuckled to himself remembering his birthday gift. Percy Jackson was weak, and a weak savior could be bent to his will.

Finally, Percy reached the big blue doors. It wasn't normally blue, but Kronos felt some stirred memories couldn't hurt when emotional breaking was involved. After congratulating himself for such brilliant thinking, Kronos snapped his fingers and a gray owl roosted on Percy Jackson's arm. It got the desired effect.

He watched Percy Jackson lose all control. He spent a few minutes relishing in the nervous breakdown of Olympus' Messiah.

He rematerialized in his throne room and called Atlas to bring in the boy. Tonight he was going to win.

* * *

Percy stared into the golden orbs of Kronos, of the killer of Sally, of Paul, of Thalia, and of… Annabeth. Confusion was purged from his body. He had a new purpose.

Percy Jackson glowed with a brilliant rainbow of light. Fissures sprung forth from the ground. The air erupted into miniature tornadoes. Fallen pillars were suspended in the air. His whole palace shook. The eyes of the savior were green no more. They were a swirling mass of red and black. He let out a blood-curdling scream and the floor exploded.

Kronos began to panic. He did not expect _this _to happen. Percy Jackson was supposed to be broken beyond repair, not a living host of pure hatred and chaos. Sand buffeted his face as he ran through all the ideas in his mind.

Kronos was struck with inspiration.

He screamed over the turmoil. "Percy!"

The voice belonged to the enemy. He should not listen. Only kill. Avenge.

Then it spoke the words he never expected to hear.

"I can bring back Annabeth!"

_Lies_.

"Percy, believe me!"

_Why should I?_ Despite himself the turbulence grew weaker.

"I swear on the River Styx that I know how to bring Annabeth back to life, and that I will do all I can to do so! Is that good enough, Percy?"

In a blink of an eye the tumult ceased. "Then do it." The voice was not shouted, nor bellowed, yet pure loathing was woven into each syllable. Kronos raised his scythe, and Percy's eyes began to shift once more.

"Wait! Let me explain!" The voice was so saccharine it sounded ominous from the mouth of the Emperor of the world. "I can send you back in time!"

* * *

That came out of left field.

"What?"

Kronos let out an exasperated sigh. "Unless you have forgotten, Percy Jackson, I am the Lord of Time. It is well within my power to send you back in time"

Percy looked just as irritated. "I'm not stupid, Kronos. Why should I trust you?"

Kronos gave him a grin the Cheshire cat would be proud of. "What do you have to lose?"

Ouch. That question was stated so matter-of-fact, that it really drove the stake through the heart. Percy thought about it. Then he thought about it some more. What _did_ he have to lose?

After a minute of silent contemplation, Percy finally spoke. "What do I have to do?"

A collective gasp echoed throughout the room. Poseidon in particular looked quite distressed.

"Percy…"

But what he would have said was silenced by Kronos' jovial reply.

"Why it's quite simple, really. All you have to do is focus on a temporal landmark, like a birthday. Then I slash at you with my scythe. You'll get sent into the time stream, and if your willpower is strong enough, you'll be able to latch onto your landmark and hey presto! You're back in time! You'll even retain future knowledge and reflexes, but unfortunately your body will still be that of a twelve-year-old if you decide to go back four years. Also, no Mark of Achilles. Plus, I'd prefer it if you'd keep this all hush and reveal your secret to as little an amount as possible. But think about it. You'll be able to see Annabeth again."

Percy's head jerked up. "Annabeth?" Kronos ebulliently nodded. Percy furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "Wait, what do _you_ stand to gain in this?"

Kronos shrugged his shoulders. "Well, to be frank, in this timeline you die."

Percy's jaw dropped. "I, I die?"

Kronos nodded. "Oh, yes, you die. In this timeline at least. But from your point of return back in time you'll open up an alternate universe… I wouldn't want to bore you with temporal physics. Basically you die in my timeline and I'm happy and I die in your new timeline and you're happy. Win-win, right?"

Poseidon spoke up once more. "Percy, I'm begging you, don't trust him. Please."

But Percy made up his mind. "No, Dad, I _must_ do this," Kronos smirked "for everyone who's died, for Annabeth."

He turned to Kronos. "Kronos, I'm ready."

"Very well, let's begin."

He raised his scythe at Percy, but before he could swing, he was interrupted again.

But it wasn't Poseidon.

"Percy," Athena said. "Let me just say I give you my blessing to court Annabeth."

Percy smiled. "Thank you, Athena."

Kronos slashed and he felt his body turn into a freeform spirit. He entered the time stream and focused intently on when it all began, the night he slew the Minotaur. It was time to go back to Montauk.

* * *

In the depths of the underworld three old ladies were preparing for their daily knitting session. At least, that what it would look like to any mortal, but gods and demigods knew who they were and what they were doing. They were the Fates, and they were doing the job they'd been born to do.

But today, the Fates were not spinning thread, or allotting lifespans, or cutting lifelines. Instead they were observing the thread of life of one Percy Jackson. For instead of a single thread, he had two intertwined with each other.

* * *

**Will write for reviews.**


	2. CURBSTOMP BATTLES AND SPOONFED PUDDING

**CURB-STOMP BATTLES AND SPOONFED PUDDING**

**A/N: I'm back! I'm simply amazed by all the positive feedback I've received! **

**Anyway, I'd like to tell everyone how I'm going to go about writing my stories. I'm gonna post a chapter, then maybe edit out any grammatical errors I missed after one or two days. When I finish a book, I might redo the story again rewritten to the suggestions of my loyal readers, as a separate story. Is that all right with you guys? Please tell me.  
**

**Still missing a beta. Any suggestions? Volunteers?  
**

**Expect Chapter 3 sometime next week.  
**

**Once again, thank you and please review!  
**

**Disclaimer: If I were Rick Riordan, Jason would end up with Reyna. However, it seems like Jason and Piper will be stuck on a boat for the rest of the book series...  
**

**Some dialogue may be directly taken from The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, Chapters 3-5.**

* * *

Percy woke with a start.

He had this crazy dream, where Kronos told him he could go back in time to save everyone, Percy was a whirlwind of mass destruction, and Athena had approved of his relationship with Annabeth. Meaning, he dreamed of the impossible.

Then he realized he wasn't in Bunker 3, where he'd taken to hiding out. He was sleeping in a sand-covered bed, under sandy sheets. He was in a wooden cabin, single-room, and the sounds of torrents and gales bashing against the exterior enveloped him. He was in Montauk.

Then, realizing what this meant, turned, and almost cried. Sally Jackson slept soundly in her bed. _Alive. Mom was alive._

Percy felt his body. He was smaller, scrawnier, and several inches shorter. He was twelve.

He laughed. He laughed hard. He laughed so hard, they could have put him in an asylum. He laughed so hard he needed to keel over. He laughed so hard tears were threatening to come out of his eyes.

He was back in time. _He was back in time. _

Percy thought of all the people he could save. He thought of Mom, and Paul, and Rachel, and Grover, and Juniper, and Clarisse, and Chiron, and Chris, and Tyson, and Thalia, and Nico and Bianca, and Connor and Travis, and Castor and Pollux, and Silena and Beckendorf, and… Annabeth. She was still alive. And Percy was determined to make sure she didn't die this time.

BOOM!

Sally woke up and turned to Percy. "Hurricane." Then she realized her son was laughing uncontrollably. "Percy, why are you laughing?"

Percy stopped, and rotated his head the 90 degrees he needed to see his mother looking at him worriedly. He stared. Then he covered his face with his arm. He didn't know what his mom would think if he was laughing then start crying.

"I'm fine mom. It was just a funny dream."

Before Sally could respond, a loud pounding sound echoed throughout the cabin. Someone was outside.

Sally sprang out of bed and threw open the lock.

Grover (oh my gods he's alive) trotted in, and just like he remembered, he wasn't wearing pants.

"Searching all night" he gasped. "What were you thinking?"

As his mom looked at him in terror, Percy sheepishly remembered that, in fact, he _hadn't _told his mother yet what had happened.

"Percy," she practically yelled to be heard over the downpour. "What happened in school? _What didn't you tell me?"_

This time, he immediately replied and described Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies to the best of his memories.

As Percy explained the full story, his mom slowly got paler and paler. She grabbed her purse, and Percy was already by the door with his red rain jacket.

"Get to the car. Both of you. _Go!"_

He and Grover ran to the car. Well, Grover trotted, but they made it in, and in a few seconds Percy's mom made it in, too.

They drove for a few minutes in complete silence. Finally, Grover spoke up.

"So, Percy, about my, um, problem…"

Percy held a finger up. "Not now. I need to think."

* * *

The Super-Awesome Sun God and Master Prophet Apollo sat in his study and was working on his latest prophecy.

"_You shall see what was stolen, and see it…"_

He crossed out three words and continued scribbling.

"_You shall be betrayed by the one who calls you friend…"_ Apollo crossed out ten more words, followed by the whole line. Eventually, he crumpled up the parchment and tossed into the rubbish bin.

"No, no, no, no, NO! This prophecy just doesn't feel right anymore… It doesn't feel up to my standards."

He pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment and spent eight hours of moonlight on his new-and-improved prophecy.

* * *

After several minutes of silent meditation, Percy believed he remembered most details as well as he could. He decided to play this as similarly to last time as possible.

"So, you and my mom… know each other?"

Grover looked as twitchy as last time, his eyes and body never sitting still.

"Not exactly", he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."

"Watching me?"

"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added verbatim from Percy's memory. "I _am _your friend."

The awkward silence continued until Percy asked again. "So… new pants?

Grover's face turned a deep red. "Percy, please, not now. I'll explain later, now's not the time."

"You know, Grover, it's kinda funny. You look just like a satyr from Mr. Brunner's class."

Grover grew more nervous. "Percy…"

"Don't worry Grover, I'm just kidding. I mean it's not like you're _actually_ a satyr, right?"

Percy chuckled at Grover who looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"So… what are we running from?"

Grover looked at him in disbelief. "Percy, we're plowing through the countryside with the meter never dipping below 100mph. We basically dropped everything and fled from your cabin Montauk. Why… do you look so calm?"

Percy shrugged unhelpfully. "I dunno. Why shouldn't I be?"

"Boys!" Mrs. Jackson saved Grover from answering by swerving hard to the right. And Percy, for the first time in five years, saw once more the fleeting shape of the first monster he'd willingly killed. The Minotaur.

_Isn't something supposed to happen about now…? _Percy remembered just in time. He reached forward and grabbed his mom's shoulders and shouted, "MOM! STOP THE CAR!"

Percy felt his face slam into the driver's seat as his mom hit the brakes and the Camaro came to a screeching halt. "Percy, what the Hades was…?

But Percy's mom's question was answered when a giant bolt of lightning ignited the air directly in front of them. Asphalt and gravel showered the windshield as the monster bolt connected with the ground. Grover and Sally stared open-mouthed at Percy.

"Percy," they said in unison. "How did you know?"

Percy shrugged. "I sensed it. Somehow. Anyway, shouldn't we continue?"

They gave him skeptical looks, but Percy's mom hit the gas and they rocketed forward once more across the countryside. Five minutes later, Mrs. Jackson stopped the car. "Alright, we're here. Percy, listen to me. Do you see that giant pine tree? I want you and Grover to run past it and ask Chi- Mr. Brunner for help."

Percy decided to play dumb. "Mr. Brunner? What does he have to do with anything… And Mom, what about you?"

She gave him a weak smile. "Don't worry about me, Percy. I'll be fine. Now go!"

Percy wanted to say otherwise, but before he could, Grover grabbed him by the arm and dragged him up the hill.

The rain stung his face like icy needles – he had to will himself wet or it would look suspicious – and he chanced a look back at his mom. He froze. What he saw made his blood run cold.

The Minotaur had made it to the Camaro. Neither its Fruit of the Looms style underwear nor its _wet dog _appearance in the rain diminished the horror seeping into Percy's veins. The roof had been peeled open, like a banana, and the Minotaur slowly reached its hand inside…

_No _said a cold voice from deep inside Percy. _Not this time. Not now. Not ever again._

* * *

Annabeth Chase followed Chiron to Half-Blood Hill. She had stayed up late reading all about spandrels when she noticed the silhouette of their activities director crossing the grounds towards the boundary line. Doing what any curious daughter of Athena would do, she donned her Yankee's Cap and shadowed the immortal centaur. In a few minutes they made it to the foot of the hill, and Chiron turned and looked directly at her.

"Annabeth, it is late. What are you doing out and about?"

Annabeth took off the cap and blushed furiously. "Sir, How did you know?"

Chiron let a trace of a smile wander to his lips, then replied. "Centaur's secret. Now, what are you doing out late?"

Annabeth blushed more. "I was just curious sir. You don't usually roam the grounds at night."

Chiron looked down on her reprovingly, and then sighed. "Well, since you're here anyway, you might as well accompany me."

Annabeth nodded; thankful she wasn't going to be punished. She pocketed her baseball cap and hiked up the hill. "Sir, what are we doing here?"

Chiron smiled at her. "Well _I'm,"_ he chuckled at how she blushed further. "Here to welcome Grover back, as well as a new camper.

Annabeth nearly jumped up and down in excitement. "Ooh, a new camper! We haven't had anyone new in a while! Is he around my age? No, wait, what's their gender?"

"He's a he, and yes, he should be around your age.

Then her voice grew softer. "Do you think he could be… the one?

Surprisingly, Chiron did not disagree with her. "We'll see, Annabeth. We'll see."

They made it to Thalia's Tree, and saw a Camaro pull up at the base of the hill. She saw Grover and the new camper get out of the car and dash to the hill. And she gasped when she saw the monster chasing them.

_If they sent a Minotaur after him, maybe he is the one. _She saw the Minotaur reach into the car, and gasped. It was carrying the limp body of a woman! To her horror, the new camper stopped running. He turned and froze at the sight of who she thought was his mother hanging from the hand of the beast. She saw Grover trying to pull him up from he stood there still as a statue.

_Go! _She silently urged him. _Keep running! I know it's hard, but there's nothing you can do!_

But if anything shocked her, and Chiron apparently, it was what the new camper did next.

He raised his right hand, and did a sort of slashing motion with it. Immediately, the rain stood motionless in the air as if she was seeing a high-resolution photograph. Then more rain came, and the frozen raindrops started growing into massive blobs of water. The new camper made a waving motion with both of his hands, like he was collecting the mid-air water, and thrust the palms of his hands forward. The water surged around into a raging aqua lance, shearing off the Minotaur's left horn.

Annabeth gasped. She'd never seen that much power displayed by anyone before, much less someone who hadn't been trained yet.

The Minotaur roared in pain while clutching where its left horn used to be, dropping the woman on the ground in the process. It turned to the new camper with a blazing hatred in its eyes.

It charged towards the new camper at full speed. He stood there motionless in the rain, and Annabeth thought he was going to jump at the last second. He didn't.

He adopted a fighting stance, and Annabeth almost screamed when she realized he missed the point when he should have jumped. Instead, he sidestepped, grabbed the other horn – the right one – and slammed the Minotaur into the ground with more force than a falling building. With an ear-splitting roar, the Minotaur was instantly pulverized into fine sand. Then, the new camper collapsed.

* * *

When Percy came to, he was in the Big House Infirmary like last time. Percy silently cursed for exhausting himself in his untrained body. Kronos _had_ mentioned his body would be that of a twelve year old, and he _seriously_ overclocked.

Percy needed some demigod power exercise, and maybe some regular exercise, too, aside from the camp activities. He really needed to gain some muscles; most fights relied on them more than godly powers.

Any further thoughts were pushed from his mind as a spoonful of pudding was gently lowered into his mouth.

"Who are you? Why are you so powerful?"

Seeing Annabeth alive, albeit four years younger, made him feel like going back in time was all worth it. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to her and give her the longest, most passionate kiss in the world, but, given they both were twelve and didn't know each other yet (at least for Annabeth), he managed to restrain himself. If he hadn't, now _that _would be awkward.

"I'm Percy Jackson." His mouth still hurt like Hades so it came out rather raspy, but he flashed her a weak smile to prove he was fine. "And if you want to know, it takes a lot of practice."

She sat there stunned, apparently gob smacked I'd recovered this quickly.

'You drool when you sleep." Unlike last time, when she said it derogatorily, she said it warmly, obviously teasing. This was good. Percy wanted to get together with Annabeth much earlier than in his last life, so it was good they'd started on friendlier terms.

Percy chuckled in response. "Sorry but that happens when I use my powers. Beating minotaurs is hard work."

She giggled then turned to him with a serious look. "No, really, you say it like it's a joke, but I was there. The amount of power you showed… even most _gods_ can't match that."

Percy blushed and scratched his head sheepishly. He _hadn't _meant to show that much power. Now he was looking suspicious. "Thanks, but, listen, umm…"

"Annabeth" she supplied.

Percy nodded. "Alright, so you say you saw me last night…"

"Yes."

"So I'm sure you can guess who my dad is."

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. She sat there with a contemplative look on her face. She thought about what he did last night. She hadn't given it much thought since then. What did he do again? He controlled the water in the air. Hydrokinesis. But which god had that power?

Then, she stifled back a gasp. She stared at him as if he were made of plutonium. She mouthed the word to him, as if she didn't trust herself to say it out loud. _Poseidon?_

Percy nodded again. "Grover told me all about me being a demigod, about the Western movement, and about the Big Three's Pact," not a complete lie. Well, at least the Grover in this universe hadn't yet. "And the only people I know who know who I am are you and Grover." _Plus Chiron, _Percy mentally added. _But I don't know him yet._

He looked at her in the eyes. "I know that looked impressive, but I really don't want this getting out. People are gonna point and talk about me behind my back, and I don't want any of that. Can I trust you with my secret?"

Annabeth feebly nodded in reply, and then Percy decided to try something. He was testing the waters, so to speak, to see where he was right now.

He reached forward and embraced her. It was a full-on, heartfelt hug. He could feel her face heating up as she hesitantly returned the hug. They separated and he said, "Thanks."

Her face was now the color of a cherry tomato. She looked away and mumbled something that sounded like, "Sure, no problem."

Percy looked around, and then asked Annabeth a question he knew the answer to. "So where are we?"

The awkwardness abruptly ceased and Annabeth suddenly smiled a smile the Cheshire cat would be proud of. "We're in Camp Half-Blood, the best place in the world for demigods like us."

Annabeth proceeded to talk about its history, and the campers, and all of its parts, and area. Percy thought that even at twelve, she looked cute as ever when she talked. He put effort into actually appearing interested, but Percy knew all of this already. This gave Percy time to think about what he had just accomplished. He was much closer to Annabeth at this point, and he even asked her to keep a secret for him, which show that he placed trust in her. Hopefully they'd end up together sooner this time.

Percy wondered when he would tell Annabeth he was from the future. He knew Kronos told him to tell only on a need-to-know basis, but he couldn't stand lying to Annabeth. He decided to wait until later to make this decision.

Percy continued listening (or at least pretending) to Annabeth. "…and we have the arena where we spar and have sword-fighting lessons. Anyway, didn't you say you got really powerful by practicing? What did you mean by that?"

He shrugged. "I sort of realized I had control over water years ago." He phrased his statements carefully so that he never actually lied to her. "I noticed they were like the superpowers from those TV shows and comics. I practiced every day, because I thought I'd need to use them for the greater good sometime in the future. I never imagined that I'd be a demigod."

He gave her another smile to show he was kind of OK with it. "When I saw the Minotaur take my mom, I guess I just lost all control and sort of overclocked."

Percy then realized something. To his horror, he had almost forgotten. "Wait, what happened to my mom?"

Annabeth started thinking, and finally said, "I don't know, honestly. I think we should ask Chiron, our activities director. He helped carry you here."

Percy stared at her, then after a while simply said, "Thanks."

Annabeth looked at him perplexed. "What for?"

Percy pointed to the bowl of pudding, forgotten on the table. "For taking care of me."

Annabeth blushed again, muttered a 'No problem.' and said, "You should rest."

"Alright, but we have to talk again."

She smiled. "We will, Percy. We will."

And with that Percy fell asleep.

* * *

When Percy woke up again, he was on the deck chair on the porch. Everything seemed the same as last time, except it was much earlier.

The strawberries' scent swam on the breeze. The meadows and hills were verdant and alive. The glass of nectar was there on the old pine side table.

Camp Half-Blood was truly one of his favorite places in the world. It was a pity how devastated it looked during the war.

_Another incentive for me to stop the war._

He wondered why he hadn't woken up to Argus watching him like last time, but quickly dismissed it as irrelevant.

Percy picked up the glass and started to sip. He was expecting the taste of his mom's chocolate-chip cookies. Instead, he tasted burgers, homemade burgers Annabeth and he would grill together in another life. He remembered them laughing together as the grey smoke contrasted against the New York sky. He swore he even smelled the perfume she sometimes wore. It was moments like those that kept him sane, gave him hope during the war. Before he knew it, he the glass was empty.

"What did it taste like?" asked an almost wistful voice.

Percy had forgotten Grover was there. He stood there nervously in his 'normal' clothes, fingering a paper bag.

He was about to say burgers, but for some reason, saying it felt wrong to him.

"Chocolate chip cookies." Percy lied. He didn't know why, but he felt like this was something private that he didn't want to share. "Liquid chocolate chip cookies."

Grover shifted nervously. "That's good and all, Percy, but we need to talk. Annabeth said you said I told you about being a demigod, the Greek gods being in America, and everything else, but I don't remember telling you anything. I saw your power firsthand, and it's scary, especially since you shouldn't even know you're a demigod. Percy what is it you're not telling me? What…"

Before he could finish, Percy snapped his fingers and the air around him whooshed. A soft breeze fell upon them. "Thanks, Grover. I knew it was hard for you to explain everything, especially in a car while being chased by an ancient Greek monster, but I'm adjusting well. Thanks for telling me."

Grover blinked. Twice. His eyes were in a daze. He just muttered, "Yeah, sure Percy."

He shook his head, and his eyes returned to normal. "Anyway, I thought you might want these."

Grover handed him the paper bag, and inside Percy saw the two black and white Minotaur horns, jagged edged and slightly battered. "I thought you might want these."

Percy held them reverently. Instead of one horn, he now had two. Percy silently pondered the meaning of that.

Grover coughed. "If you don't mind, Percy, you might want to follow me. Chiron and Mr. D. are waiting."

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**A/N: Please don't flame me for Percy Misting Grover! All I can say is I that it's all a piece in the grand scheme of things that is a plot.**

**Can I still have some reviews, though?  
**


	3. TABLES EXPLODE

**I'm back!**

**Sorry about the late update and short chapter, but if you keep yourself updated with the Philippine news (which I bet most of you don't) there was some serious rain here. Our internet has been down for a few days, so I couldn't update the story until now. As for this story's briefness... well lesson learned. When it starts raining hard after you've been writing for four straight hours, remembering to save doesn't hurt. I promise the next chapter will come much sooner. I also might try to fix any spelling/grammar errors I made when rushing the making of this chapter. Again, I'm sorry.  
**

**Disclaimer: If _I_ were Mr. Riordan, Artemis would be mentioned a lot more often.**

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TABLES EXPLODE

It was a relatively short walk around the wraparound porch, but Percy was savoring each and every moment. It wasn't everyday his favorite previously wasteland-like summer camp returned to its normal, strawberry-scented glory.

ADHD and hormone-driven teenagers, happy and carefree, went about the camp. They looked… different.

Percy wondered what. They were still practicing archery, or sparring, or climbing the wall, or canoeing, or any other activity from a various selection.

Then, Percy saw their expressions. They were _happy._

Despite failures, or immense concentration, or arguments, or loneliness, the stress of war wasn't etched into their faces like it had been before.

This was what Percy was trying to protect, to preserve. This _innocence._

Percy and Grover turned the second corner. Mr. D. and Chiron were huddled together around the pinochle table, and on the porch railing, Annabeth looked blasé as she read another book on Greek architecture.

The twelve cabins arranged in a U looked as pristine as they ever had been (which wasn't much for the Ares and Hermes cabin). The amphitheater, dining pavilion, and sparring arena looked used but in good condition. Campers and satyrs ran around chasing each other or playing volleyball or whatever.

Although he had seen and thought it many times already, Percy still couldn't help but marvel at the sheer _happiness_ the place radiated.

_From what the records had said, the Camp hadn't looked as bad as it did against Kronos since the Civil War._

Percy made a silent vow to spend as much time as he could simply enjoying the Camp. If things kept true to the previous timeline, he wouldn't have to go on the quest for two more weeks.

"That's Mr. D." Grover muttered to me. "Be polite. He doesn't like impolite campers. And you know Annabeth…"

At her name she looked up. She smiled and waved at Percy then buried her nose back in her book.

"And that's Chiron." Grover finished. "You know him."

Percy looked at Chiron. His tweed jacket and magical wheelchair made him look just like any mortal Latin teacher.

"What are you talking about Grover? Isn't that Mr. Brunner?"

Mr. D. gave a derisive snort. Chiron turned around to face Percy. His eyes carried a mischievous glint Percy hadn't seen in years.

"Ah, Percy, good! Now we have four for pinochle! Come, sit!"

He offered Percy a seat to Mr. D.'s right. He looked at Percy with bloodshot eyes, and heaved a great sigh. After receiving another insincere greeting, Percy sat down in his chair.

"Annabeth?" Chiron called her forward and introduced them. "Though I suppose you don't need that. From what I've heard, you two already know each other. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in Cabin Eleven for now."

"Sure, Chiron. I'll see you later Percy." She gave Percy a final smile, then broke into a sprint towards the cabins.

Percy watched her run off, but he must've been staring at her for too long, because soon he heard Chiron call his attention.

"Percy."

When Percy looked back at them Grover was looking at him thoughtfully, Chiron had a wistful and knowing grin, and Mr. D. looked as Mr. D. always did—uninterested. Percy looked away, his face heating up, thoroughly embarrassed.

"So," Percy said, anxious to change the subject. "You, uh, work here Mr. Brunner?"

"Not Mr. Brunner, I'm afraid. That was just a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."

"Like _the _Chiron?" Percy said, in what he hoped was a disbelieving tone.

"Of course, boy, who else." Mr. D. said while shuffling the cards. Mr. D. called Grover over to be the fourth player, then turned again to Percy.

"You _do _know how to play pinochle, right?"

"Of course, sir. I think _all_ civilized young men should know how to play it. In fact, I'm quite good at it."

He looked at Percy as if he was trying to find fault in whatever he had said. Satisfied, the camp director grunted and dealt the cards. Like last time, Grover flinched each time one landed in his pile.

The conversation between him, Chiron, Grover and Mr. D. remained for all purposes the same as last time. Mr. D.'s an immature god, Chiron's immortal, that sort of stuff. Surprisingly no one had yet to bring up Percy's powers.

Percy decided now was the time to ask about his mother. "Oh, Chiron, where's my mom?"

He smiled in response. "Do not worry Percy. She recovered from her brush with the Minotaur and is back at your apartment in Manhattan. I personally carried her there after her convalescence here and reinforced the Mist surrounding your home. Grover did tell you about the Mist, right?"

"No, sir. It was Annabeth."

"Ah, yes, smart girl. I forgot you had that chat with her yesterday. Anyways, your mom is safe, but seemed extremely worried when you were passed out."

Percy pointedly looked away. "Sorry."

Chiron turned to me. "Don't be. After all, Percy, it was your actions that saved her life. However, as well-intentioned your rescue was last night, we still need to discuss the matter of what made that rescue possible."

Well, there it was. Percy gulped. He'd been hoping to avoid this confrontation for a while. Now Chiron was going to bring it up in front of Dionysus and Grover, too.

"Sir, I'd really prefer not to talk about it…"

"Me either. Can we talk about something actually interesting?" Dionysus made his bid.

Chiron looked like he still wanted to push Percy, but between him and Mr. D., finally heaved a defeated sigh. "Very well, Percy. I will respect your privacy for now if you wish, but know that with this great power comes a great responsibility. We will discuss this in time. Not now, but soon"

Percy bit back a Spiderman comment. "Yes, sir. I actually planned on keeping this whole thing under wraps, if you know what I mean. I don't want people gawking at me like I'm some sort of museum exhibit. I just want to be a normal camper."

Chiron looked at him approvingly. "How wise, Percy. I must say most kids your age wouldn't make such a wise decision. I'd say they'd seize all opportunities to be the supreme leader of Camp."

"Yes, yes, so the kid's smart." Mr. D. interrupted. "Can we just get on with our game?"

Percy nodded in agreement. "Chiron, if you'll excuse me I would like to get on with this game." Then, to amuse himself, added, "I would like to be able to claim that I beat a god at his own game."

Grover seemed to wince at these words, but Dionysus roared with laughter. "Yeah, kid, what makes you think you can beat me? I'm immortal, around for millennia, and no one has beaten me in a game since I first touched these cards."

Chiron politely coughed. Mr. D. rolled his eyes.

"All right, so the centaur beat me once," More coughing. "All right! So what if I haven't won a single game against him in over seventeen centuries? That doesn't change the fact that a _twelve year old_ is NOT beating Dionysus, god of wine, vegetation, festivities, pleasure and insanity!"

Percy had only one response to that. He brandished his hand. "Flush."

The table exploded.

* * *

After pulling splinters and Diet Coke can pieces out of their bodies and nibbling some ambrosia, Percy and Chiron began their trek to the cabins. Chiron had already climbed out of the wheelchair, and after several calisthenic exercises for his poor fetlocks, started giving Percy the talk on immortality and the Western Civilization, with Percy providing prompts and responses when necessary.

Mr. D. called Grover to accompany him to the Council of Cloven Elders to talk about his 'abysmal' performance with Percy and Mrs. Jackson, all the while muttering about "those damn kids". Percy felt bad that Mr. D. was venting his anger towards him through Grover. It wasn't the satyr's fault.

Percy couldn't really concentrate on anything Chiron was saying. He was too distracted by the campers around him, chatting, playing, sparring, or just running around in the sun. He recognized most of their faces. Most of them were dead. Most of them were dead by his hand.

Ten depressing thoughts later and he and Chiron made it to the courtyard. Annabeth was leaning against the wall of the shabbiest cabin among the twelve, Cabin Eleven. When she heard the clip-clop of Chiron's hooves, she looked up and strode over to them. She bowed respectfully.

"Chiron."

Chiron nodded. "Excellent, Annabeth. I'll entrust you now with young Percy Jackson."

"Sure, Chiron. No problem."

He gave the two one last smile and galloped towards the archery range.

"I'm not _that, _young, am I?"

Annabeth giggled, to which Percy grinned. "So, how are you doing, Annabeth?"

She smiled. "I'm fine. Sad to say since my conversation with you yesterday, nothing really compared as far as interest goes." She chuckled and Percy couldn't help but laugh a bit, too. "You still owe me another talk, though."

Percy smiled back. She remembered. "I don't have my schedule yet. But, I promise, the first thing I'll do when I get it is find some free time for both of us. Oh, by the way, I never got to ask. Who's your Olympian parent?"

"Athena."

"Goddess of wisdom? That explains a lot."

Annabeth blushed again. It seemed she was doing this far more often. "Come on. Let's get you introduced to Cabin Eleven."

Together, they walked to the front of Cabin Eleven, making small talk along the way.

They made it to the doorway. All the undetermined and children of Hermes congregated by the door to look at him. Some did so mischievously, others appraisingly, some more sullenly, but there were some who looked at him… fearfully?

"Well," Annabeth lightly nudged him. "Go on."

This time, Percy didn't trip himself entering the cabin, thank the gods. He straightened his back and announced, "Hey there. I'm Percy Jackson."

There was some scattered muttering, followed by pointing at the paper bag in Percy's left hand, until someone who Percy recognized was Travis asked, "Regular or undetermined?"

Percy and Annabeth both said at the same time, "Undetermined." At this they blushed and looked away from each other.

There were some groans from the cabin members, though it was interspersed with snickers.

An all too familiar voice came from the campers. It sounded like he had been one of the people snickering. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

Percy did his best to hide his disdain, but probably couldn't contain a reflexive growl to the voice.

The counselor of Cabin Eleven came forward. He was about nineteen, and the rest stared at him as if they thought he was cool. His tall and muscular body was topped off by a sandy-haired face with a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank, cutoffs and sandals, and around his next was a leather necklace with five different colored beads, one not unlike Annabeth's. A thick white scar ran from his right eye to his jaw. Worst of all, Annabeth seemed to blush in his very presence.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "This is Luke"

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